This mission patch signifies the final mission of the Apollo program of lunar landings. It shows the crescent Moon and Earth lined up with the brilliant Sun on a star-field backdrop. The three large stars near the names signify the three crew members of Apollo 18. The nine medium-sized stars represent the previous Apollo missions to the Moon (Apollos 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17). The two smaller white stars, near the Earth, signify the two Earth-orbit missions of Apollo (Apollos 7 and 9), while the single small gold star honors the crew of Apollo 1 (Grissom, White, and Chaffee), lost in the launch pad fire of January 27, 1967.

Above is the patch designed by Michelle Evans and rendered by Robert Kline for the August 2005 production of Darkside.

RodinaMember

Posts: 836From: Lafayette, CARegistered: Oct 2001

posted 08-21-2005 12:19 PM
Anyone know a place I can get a copy of the script for this? I'd love to read it.

Cool patch, too.

1202 AlarmMember

Posts: 278From: Geneva, SwitzerlandRegistered: Nov 2003

posted 08-21-2005 12:38 PM
There's no mention of the quality of the play or any critics. Three weeks only means that the play wasn't a success, or was it the scheduled limit?

Robert PearlmanEditor

Posts: 29231From: Houston, TXRegistered: Nov 1999

posted 08-21-2005 12:41 PM
It was a scheduled, limited run.

Here are a few reviews:

"In director Sharyn Case's staging, Darkside is a perfectly crafted mixture of sci fi, suspense, humor, and drama, as much an examination of the "inner space"--what goes on inside the mind, and heart, of an astronaut--as of the process of space exploration." Backstage West - Eric Marchese

"This compact play, humorous as it explores the frontiers of mind and space, is a highlight of the local season. The current Space Shuttle missions' revival, whose issues mirror Apollo's, makes it a must-see. "Star Progress - Anne-Margaret Bellavione

Ken Jones' 1987 play Darkside is one of the rare theatrical forays into the final frontier. At its best moments, this Rude Guerrilla production shows that theater's greatest asset - the power to prod the imagination and convey dramatic emotion through words rather than visual stimuli - can work even when it comes to space travel. The play vividly captures the intense tension and loneliness of two men trapped on the surface of the moon while their fellow astronaut, helplessly orbiting around them, desperately waits for a successful lunar launch that will unite them with his module so they can successfully return to Earth.OC Weekly - Joel Beers

KSCartistMember

Posts: 2590From: Titusville, FL USARegistered: Feb 2005

posted 08-21-2005 03:53 PM
Does anyone know of any plans by other theater companies to produce this? Or of a tour?

RichardNew Member

Posts: 5From: Morrisonville, New York USARegistered: Apr 2009

posted 08-21-2005 05:14 PM
I seem to recall that Michener basically wrote the same plot for Space many years ago. So, is this really a new idea?

GoesTo11Member

Posts: 1127From: Denver, CO USARegistered: Jun 2004

posted 08-21-2005 09:08 PM

quote:Originally posted by Richard:I seem to recall that Michener basically wrote the same plot for Space many years ago. So, is this really a new idea?

If I recall, the landing crew of Michener's Apollo 18 weren't stranded on the moon; they got irradiated by a solar flare, lost consciousness before they could rendezvous with the CM, and the LM crashed on the moon.

I read "Space" over a decade ago and found it a bit of a slog. I didn't hate it, it was just a typical Michener epic that tried to tell too many stories at once and couldn't really do any of them justice.

Anyway, the idea of two men stranded on the moon has always had great dramatic potential, and I'd definitely be curious to see "Darkside" or at least get a look at a script.

Fra MauroMember

Posts: 1098From: Bethpage, N.Y.Registered: Jul 2002

posted 08-21-2005 09:45 PM
I also coach the Speech and Debate team in my high school, so I read the play. It is very intersting, for the most part, and the ending is different. Unfortunately, it is another work of Apollo fiction that doesn't celebrate the success of lunar exploration but our fascination with a crew facing death.

FFrenchMember

Posts: 3097From: San DiegoRegistered: Feb 2002

posted 08-22-2005 11:09 PM
I just received one of these patches through the mail. I am not a patch collector, but thought these were beautifully designed and had to have one.

At a recent New Jersey get-together Buzz Aldrin was asking people from Southern California if they had seen the play yet, and seemed very keen to go himself. I later heard him telling Dave Scott all about it too.

p51Member

Posts: 984From: Olympia, WA, USARegistered: Sep 2011

posted 09-16-2011 11:09 PM
I know this is an old thread but I'd also love to see the script for this, as a Google search turns up several different productions of this play.

As for the Michener book, I never read it but I remember seeing the TV series years ago (not on video now, darn it), and if I recall correctly, Apollo 18 crashed from a flare as noted earlier. I thought it was neatly done then, probably poorly done now if I saw it again.

With the recent Apollo 18 movie, you'd think there would be more interest in all the other alternate versions of Apollo 18 in fiction today and how none of them fared very well for the crew!

astro-nutMember

Posts: 589From: washington, Illinois USARegistered: Jan 2006

posted 09-18-2011 07:55 AM
Not a bad patch. I like it.

p51Member

Posts: 984From: Olympia, WA, USARegistered: Sep 2011

posted 06-06-2013 06:29 PM

quote:Originally posted by p51:I know this is an old thread but I'd also love to see the script for this, as a Google search turns up several different productions of this play.

I still have never been able to find a working copy of the script other than ones for sale (and they can be pretty steep).

Has anyone here seen any version of the play? I recently saw this site that mentioned a production that had halfway decent replica suits in use.

Abe2001New Member

Posts: 1From: Boone County, KYRegistered: Mar 2014

posted 03-23-2014 11:00 AM
Just saw the above questions. I was lucky enough to see this play at the Denver Center Theatre Company in 1988 or 1989. It was amazing! Not too long after, I saw it mentioned as a 'must see' or 'critic's choice' by TIME Magazine.

Did a little exploring to find out more... it was written in 1987, and has many productions around the world???! It was picked as one of the best plays of the 1980's.

I just ordered a copy of the script from Samuel French Play Publishing. You got me interested.

Don't remember this patch... but I do remember the show as one of my favorites I have ever seen.